This is a cool site, that I hope takes off. In the words of its creator:

I wanted to drop you all a note about a project I’ve been working on called Community Megaphone. Community Megaphone is a web site I started building about a year ago to fill what I saw as a need in the local community: simple, low-friction promotion and discovery of developer events, particularly community-run events. Initially, the site was limited to a portion of the east coast, but this week I’ve opened the site up to events from the entire United States.

The need for some central location where you can find community events is high. While it is good that each event has its own web site for details and discussions, the value of a central index would be incredible! Please support Andrew's initiative!

Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2, along with Microsoft .NET 3.5 Beta 2, is available for download. Here's Soma's official announcement.

I find that downloading such huge sets of files requires a bit of help. My recommendation: Free Download Manager. This tool is awesome - indispensable in fact - if you do any downloads beyond small text files It does queued downloads, resumed downloads and throttling. Perhaps best of all, it does multi-threaded downloads, so it maximizes the use of your bandwidth when running at full throttle.

Update: Apparently there are some things you must do/fix before using VS 2008!! Read ScottGu's blog post about it!

Update 2: According to Juval Lowy, the svcutil.exe program in Beta 2 is broken. A workaround is to copy an older (Beta 1?) version of svcutil.exe over the top of the Beta 2 version.  Instead, Justin Smith says that you need to run "sn.exe -Vr svcutil.exe" - apparently then you don't need to copy an older verison over the new one.

Strangeloop is one of the coolest products I've seen (not as cool as Surface, but that's hard to top ).

This product is an ASP.NET-aware device that does intelligent caching for web sites. It can do things that seem virtually impossible - it is that cool! Here's Richard Campbell's blog entry with more background.

If you have the need for a nearly transparent boost in performance for your ASP.NET web site, Strangeloop is something you should look at!

We're really not that far away from some major new technology. Visual Studio "Orcas" is slated to ship this fall, and will include .NET 3.5; which includes new compilers. And new compilers always means fun!

The VB team is running a series of webcasts to bring everyone up to speed on the language changes and the resulting capabilities.

Dunn Training has done a great job with the CSLA .NET 3 day training class, and the feedback so far has been very positive!

Due to the success of the training, Dunn is taking the training on the road, bringing it to a number of cities across the US, including: Boston Minneapolis San Francisco Orlando Washington, DC Dallas Seattle San Diego Las Vegas Click here for all the information.

"I came to this class with two things, a very large problem to solve and a very modest knowledge of CSLA.  What I left with was a solution to the problem using CSLA and enough knowledge to create a prototype on my airplane trip home.  This class was worth every penny and every minute of time.  The instructor, Miguel Castro, was awesome.  DUNN Training Rocks!!" Leah Bialic, Cambridge Soft "The approach taken with this class was refreshing. Instead of the typical instructor/student environment, I felt like I was in a room of colleagues working together to learn; this was a definite plus.  I rate this class 10 out of 10.  Overall, this class was everything I needed.  Miguel's knowledge and passion for CSLA made it worth every penny." Alan Gamboa, CCG Systems "This class provides a wonderful, concrete clarification to the CSLA .Net Framework." Theo Moore, Magenic "This class was a huge help. Definitely money well spent. " Chris Williams, Magenic

In November Dunn Training held the first ever official CSLA .NET three day class. It was a smashing success, and resulted in a lot of great feedback and comments. Here are a couple quotes from attendees of the November class:

"At first, I was not sold on the need for CSLA.  After attending this class and seeing the examples and proof, I'm on the bandwagon.  This class proved the usefulness of CSLA and sold me on giving up writing all the plumbing myself."

"Miguel and Mark have provided one of the best ways to get up to speed using CSLA."

"The best career enhancing training investment I have made in the last 10 years.  Rocky is lucky to have the DUNN team doing this training.  Great stuff - solid, professional and accurate."

The next class is coming up soon: January 29-31, in Atlanta, GA. If you are looking for three days of intense and practical CSLA .NET training this is your chance!

The long-awaited release of VS 2005 SP1 is finally here.

Perhaps most importantly, SP1 rolls up a number of hotfixes that many people have been using for a long time to improve the stability and performance of Visual Studio 2005. I know this is one service pack I'm installing immediately!!

I was recently interviewed by Craig Shoemaker for polymorphicpodcast.com, and that interview is now online for listening.

I am the track chair for Vista Live!, one of the sub-conferences of VS Live! San Francisco. This conference will be held March 25-29, 2007.

As track chair, it is my job to recruit speakers and help select sessions around software development and Windows Vista and .NET 3.0.

Windows Vista has some major impacts on software development. Perhaps most notably, having users (and developers) run in a non-Admin account affects how both development tools and end-user applications install and run. And then there are the new shell features, and integrated RSS support. Add to this .NET 3.0, with WCF, WPF, WF and WCS, and there's a lot of ground to cover.

If you would like to speak at VS Live in March, on a Windows Vista related topic, please use this online proposal submission form to submit your idea.

Dunn Training is now offering the first ever formal training for CSLA .NET. The beta class is November 20-22, and it is being held in Chattanooga, TN. The advantage to the beta class, is that it is heavily discounted, because it is the first public run of the materials, so this is the one chance to get heavily discounted CSLA .NET classroom training.

The plan is for regular classes to start in early 2007.

I've been working with Miguel Castro as he builds the content for the course, and this training should be a great way to get rolling fast with CSLA .NET.

I recently participated in a panel discussion on open source software, which was recorded as a MSDN Webcast.

Scott Hanselman even has a picture of the event.

Though people might argue whether CSLA .NET is really "open source" (because it has a non-viral license), it is certainly the case that its source code is open for all to see and use with almost no restrictions. If you listen to the panel, you'll find that there's a strong belief by many of us in this space that open source is an important and valuable part of the software industry; and you'll find that many of us also believe that software development should lead (directly or indirectly) to being able to make a living. This leaves a delicate middle ground, which can be challenging in many ways.

CSLA .NET version 2.1 is now available for download from www.lhotka.net/cslanet/download.aspx

Please make sure to read the Change log for this release, as there are substantial changes to validation, authorization and other parts of the framework. There are a limited number of breaking changes that may affect your code, so please review the document before attempting to upgrade from 2.0 to 2.1.

The vast majority of the changes in version 2.1 are due to the community feedback from the great members of the online forum. I would like to thank everyone who provided feedback and input into the process!

Jason Bock, a colleague of mine at Magenic, is organizing a code camp in the Twin Cities for November 11, 2006. Click here for details.

I'll be speaking at the event, though I haven't decided on a topic yet.

I submit that this is a good move by Microsoft: making the MSDN Library available for free download.

Some may argue that this devalues the MSDN subscription - but frankly that's silly. The vast majority of the Library is available online anyway, all Microsoft has done here is provided a more convenient way to access the data. It isn't like they decided to give away the software for free! Personally I haven't installed the Library on my machine for well over a year, because I find the web access more convenient.

Dollar per bit, an MSDN subscription is an unbeatable deal for a developer. The ability to get almost every OS, server and development tool for the purposes of development at just over the cost of Visual Studio alone is really quite amazing when you think about it.

Other people will likely argue that this is in response to government actions (the EU in particular). If so, then so be it. I think the EU is out of control and will likely do serious harm to European consumers, and maybe to Microsoft. But the upside for me is that I work for a consulting company, and the more variations on the OS the more time it takes us to build even simple software. Since we charge by the money, it merely means that software for use in the EU will make us more money that software for use in the US or elsewhere. So perhaps I should be rooting for the EU, because in some perverse way they're likely to make me more money?

Regardless, even if Microsoft is releasing the Library free to help mitigate some "openness" issues in the EU, that is only good news for developers who (for some reason) find it hard to get the content over the Internet.

My view is this: I've worked with IBM software, and the lack of an MSDN-equivalent is devastating to productivity. And I've worked with (and continue to work with) open source software, where the lack of decent documentation and organized support materials is infamous. The investment Microsoft has always made around supporting developer productivity through documentation and MSDN is one of its key success factors - at least in the development world. To me, this is just another small step in Microsoft's continuing support for developers on their platform.

Magenic (my employer) bested five other finalists in this category, which recognizes partners that are developing and implementing innovative technical applications for clients using one or more Microsoft products. The company was chosen out of an international field of top Microsoft Partners for delivering market-leading customer solutions built on Microsoft technology. The awards were distributed at a ceremony July 9 in Minneapolis at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference. Sandy White and Paul Fridman accepted the award on behalf of Magenic.

Awards were presented in a number of categories, with winners chosen from a pool of more than 1,800 entrants worldwide. Magenic was recognized for superior Technology Innovation in the Custom Development Solutions category. The Custom Development Solutions Award recognizes the year’s top partners in providing custom-developed solutions to customers that require value-added capabilities. Magenic won this award by developing solutions that optimize business opportunities for its customers through custom technology.

The Microsoft Partner Program Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions during the past year. With Microsoft’s recognition that Magenic’s applications are at the forefront of their industries, clients know that Magenic has proven commitment and expertise when delivering solutions based on Microsoft technologies. This recognition identifies Magenic as the most skilled partner in its application-development areas.

 

This looks like quite the software development competition - check it out!

CoDe Magazine has published my article on extending the Configuration Management Application Block (CMAB) to support user, system and enterprise settings as well as application settings.

My latest article is online at TheServerSide.net.

Bill Vaughn and I were recorded live at Dev Connections in Orlando for a .NET Rocks interview. As always, .NET Rocks is a whole lot of fun, and recording live is even more fun, so check it out!

OK, I am happy!

 

For years now it has been clear that the patent system is woefully inadequate when it comes to software and software-related patents. Any system that grants a patent for clicking once on a button to buy a product is insane!

 

Microsoft is far from the worst player in the patent system. IBM files for more patents than you can shake a stick at, and there are many other examples of egregious or opportunistic patents in the software and Internet space by many companies.

 

However, Microsoft recently has been under fire for Patent # ‘959 (“IsNot”). This is a patent they applied for and which has not yet been reviewed or granted, so it is still pending. The patent is basically for a VB version of the C-style != operator and thus is obviously pretty silly (sorry Paul and Amanda, but it is).

 

Microsoft is well within their rights to file the patent, and I give it good odds of being accepted (given the track record of the patent office). Given the current state of the patent system, Microsoft has to apply for patents like this – as do all companies. It is pure self-defense. It is really not the fault of the companies that the patent system is messed up…

 

The result of this patent application has been substantial discussion by Microsoft and various Microsoft “insiders”. My contention all along has been that the patent system needs reform and that Microsoft is a perfect candidate to lead the charge.

 

And wouldn’t you know it, here they go! Microsoft is actively lobbying for patent reform and has a cohesive list of ways they think the system should change to fix current issues.

 

I am sure this will lead to some healthy debate (and probably some unhealthy debate by various fools out there) about exactly what should change and how. But the fact that Microsoft is helping to spearhead the debate, to push it to the forefront so it can be discussed is very exciting.

 

Assuming Microsoft follows through and continues to sincerely push for reform, and participates in the ensuing debate in good faith then I say kudos to Microsoft!

Pat Helland has decided to leave Microsoft for Amazon. Pat is an incredibly bright man and is one of the foremost thinkers in the SOA space. I hope he is able to continue to contribute to the space in his new role. In any case - all the best Pat!!

My newest article is online at TheServerSide.net.

I was looking for info on a design pattern, and on a whim I thought I'd see if patternshare.org was online yet. And it is!

This site promises to be an awesome resource for all of us, since it provides a centralized index/resouce for patterns of many types. The fact that it is online is wonderful news!

Dan Miser blogs that there's a new version of Trillian out there. Off to download we go  - and I suggest you buy it! It is well worth the money!

You can now get details about, and download the beta of, Microsoft's new AntiSpyware software at this location.

I will be speaking at VS Live San Francisco, Feb 6-10, 2005.

As part of the event, I'll be doing a full day pre-con workshop covering distributed object-oriented archtiecture, design and programming concepts based on the concepts and code from my Business Objects books. This means that the workshop not only provides a lot of good theory, but also very practical demonstrations on how to apply that theory using the CSLA .NET framework. I will not only cover the framework as described in the books, but also all the enhancements to the framework since that point - including the most recent enhancements present in version 1.5 of the framework.

Rocky Lhotka discusses VB.NET's focus on business application development.
(from TheServerSide.NET)

This is actually a shameless plug regarding me being quoted in the press...

In the very same Enterprise Architect magazine whose article I maligned in my previous blog entry I am actually quoted in a different article. Check in the Editors Note and you'll find that Jim Fawcette does a good job of paraphrasing a statement I made about SOA during a discussion panel at VS Live in Orlando this fall.

MSDN has taken to organizing a week of webcasts on ASP.NET. Last year it was their most popular event, and probably will be again this year.

As part of the event I am presenting a webcast on implementation of custom authentication and authorization in ASP.NET.

Click here to register for the event.

I work for Magenic Technologies. Magenic is one of the nation’s leading software development and consulting companies focused on Microsoft technology, and I feel comfortable saying that we employ some of the best consultants in the industry.

Today Magenic announced that they acquired Empowered Software Solutions (ESS) in Chicago.

Personally I'm very excited about this event. I've known Keith, Tammy and Norm (the founders of ESS) for many years and it is very exciting to get to work with them and all the Chicago-based consultants. ESS has a great (and well-deserved) reputation in Chicago. That reputation will help spread Magenic's national presence into the Chicago area.

 

The MSDN VB community site has featured my blog - which I think is pretty cool.

For those who don't know, the VB team at Microsoft has started assemblying a community portal site for VB developers at http://msdn.microsoft.com/vbasic/community/.

They already have some cool content, including relevant blog listings, links to sites with useful code, tips and tricks and so forth. And they plan to do more in the near future, including some more interactive content so we, as the community, can help create and manage some of the site's content.

I think this is an excellent step on the part of the VB team to help support the huge VB community, and I appreciate it. Thanks guys!

I just got my author copies of the book, so it has been printed and is in distribution! This should mean that, any day now, bookstores will get copies and Amazon should start shipping them.

Click here for more information on both the VB .NET and C# editions of the book, as well as links to the code, the online discussion forum and other related information.

 

I am very happy to report that I'll be giving a full-day workshop on distributed object-oriented application design in .NET this fall at VS Live Orlando. If you are interested in this topic in general, or CSLA .NET specifically, then here's an opportunity to get a full day brain-dump as part of a great overall conference!

Over the past year I've given some 2 hour sessions on this topic as part of the main VS Live conference, and I've had several people come up after the session asking why it isn't a full-day workshop. After all, it is a very big topic to cover in just a couple hours!

Fawcette agrees, and so has decided to do a pre-con for the Orlando conference in September on the topic.

While I'll certainly cover some basic concepts and ideas around distributed object-oriented systems, the fact is that I'll be focusing mostly on how these concepts shaped CSLA .NET and how CSLA .NET addresses many of the issues we face when designing and building such systems. I'll discuss serialization, remoting, n-level undo, why reflection is sometimes very useful, abstraction of business logic and encapsulation of business data and more. I'll also discuss the creation of Windows, Web and Web services interfaces to the business objects.

I'll also dive into some of the more advanced issues that have come up on the CSLA .NET email forum - including items such as concurrency, near real-time notification of simultaneous edits, centralization of business logic (the RuleManager functionality), object-relational mapping issues (including dealing with inheritance) and some thoughts on batch processing and reporting.

Finally, I also plan to spend a bit of time discussing what .NET 2.0 means to object-oriented programming. I'll discuss the (very cool) new data binding enhancements in Windows Forms, and the (not quite as cool) enhancements in Web Forms. I'll also talk about what Indigo is likely to mean for distributed object-oriented systems - including a discussion about why using remoting today is not at all a bad thing!

 

	Dev Days in Minneapolis.
	VS Live in San Francisco
	VS Connections in Orlando
	VS Live in Toronto

... and more to come. Please go to my presentations page for a full list of topics and locations.